Archive for the ‘Companion Planting’ Category

Growing carrots is easier than some people think, and growing them in containers is not impossible. In fact you can now buy carrot seeds that are specific to container growing because they are short and stumpy but wider than your average ‘ground grown’ carrots.
The most important thing to remember with any root vegetable is that they hate being moved, because of this you should never start any rooties in one place, and then move to another when they get bigger. Where you sow, is where you will grow.
Soil. Carrots like a sandy soil so that they can move easily in their ‘home’ while they are growing. They, like other rooties, are also thirsty all the time. The best way to check if your little ones need watering is to dip your finger into the soil (away from the veggies) to abou

So to continue...
Spring Onions... As I said in the part 1 we love our onions.
As well as the normal onions I also have a small bed of multiplying onions - like a spring onion but a bit smaller. I originally planted a few bunches of two or three onions and they soon turned into huge bunches of tall tasty onions which are ideal in stews and soups. They have a totally different taste to normal onions. I dig up a portion of a bunch when required by driving a spade through the bunch and replacing some soil to fill the void!! When the whole bunch has been used I replant a small bunch of 2-5 and in not time they will be ready for eating as well. This way one only needs a square meter or so in the garden for theses. They over-winter without any problem and jump back into growing mode i

If you are short of growing space or want to make the most of the space you have, there are a couple of growing practices that can help. These growing methods are commonly known as Intercropping and Catch Cropping. These ways of growing are not new, but have been somewhat forgotten by many gardeners. With many new gardens being smaller and long waiting lists for allotment sites, Intercropping and Catch Cropping, could be a way to maximise harvests in smaller spaces, even in tubs and containers.
Intercropping.
The Intercropping method is simply growing different vegetables together, one well know group planting with a long history is called 'The Three Sisters'. The Native Americans grew maize or sweet corn in a block, when the corn was growing, climbing beans were then

The snow is upon us, which has prompted me to write this article. Many gardeners are worried that their Strawberries will die in the snow - Rest assured they WILL survive. They love the cold and snow conditions..
Fresh Strawberries from the plot are a great seasonal treat. You can have them as the traditional "Strawberries and Cream" and many many more ways.. Trifles, puddings, pies etc. etc. They are great for making jams as well. I use them and mix in with various other fruits to make jams and jellies. See my "Strawpple Jam" here. Literally hundreds of combinations can be done with Strawberries. You can successfully grow Strawberries in containers as well.. See information here.
General
The two types of Strawberries that I know of are the normal fruiting type

Many of us are looking for greener ways of deterring or controling pests on our crops. We want healthy pest free crops without resorting to chemicals. One way is to try companion planting. As seen in other articles there are all types of companion planting, I like a mix of all of them.
Alliums - Carrot fly, Aphids
One method you can use is confusion or camouflage, by alternating rows of different vegetables, one plants smell disguises the other. Try sowing rows of carrots inbetween rows of onions or garlic, the smell of these alliums masks the smell of the carrots and is said to deter carrot fly. It should certainly confuse them. I have a row of garlic chives and common chives at the end of one raised bed. This not only helps to disguise the smell of vunerable crops, but brings i

Companion planting means lots of different things to different people. Wether one plants flowers in order to attract pollinators or just quick sprouting radish to mark the row, all can be called companion planting. If you plant two or more different species of plants together so one will help an other in growth or in protection from pests is also companion planting. There are hundreds of different ways and techniques what flower to plant with what vegetable and which vegetables grow best together. The most common is to attract bees and other useful insects to your plot is to plant flowers with your vegetables.
So called traditional gardens have a herb garden, flower bed and the vegetable beds all separately planted, but for best results and maximum benefits it is the best to mix all of